Rice Fields And Marshes

Along the South Carolina lowcountry hundreds of miles of marsh and old rice fields are connected by a system of water gates called ‘trunks’. ACE Basin alone is 140,000 acres.

Rice Fields And Marshes – Click To Enlarge

Wooden trunks (above) are opened and closed to control flooding as well as wildlife conservation. This is the same system used since the 1700’s.

Rice Fields And Marshes – Click To Enlarge

It’s surprising how many large open areas of water there are. Yet most are connected through marsh land canals.

Rice Fields And Marshes – Click To Enlarge

Afternoon storms roll in quickly but most of the time are gone just as fast.

Rice Fields And Marshes – Click To Enlarge

The views and wildlife here are actually easier to access than I had expected. A few main roads lead into this area. Each has a ‘box’ for people to sign in. When you leave you simply sign out. I have no idea if anyone looks at them, but I somehow feel safer.

The ‘trunks’ and their dikes are large in many places. The photograph above shows a set of trucks, on a dike. You can also see dirt tracks and roads run along the tops of dikes.

Except for an occasional Alligator sleeping in the middle of a trail photography here is about as good as it gets.